MUSINGS OF A STORY MERCHANT

I love to teach because the process of helping writers realize their screenplays and novels is thrilling. As a writer myself, who has made every mistake at least twice, I love helping writers past the pitfalls and challenges and watching them create their stories.

In my "Finish Your Script" class, my students spend the 9-week session writing a first draft or working towards a final one. In each session, we complete a full draft, and students often repeat the session until they have completed their final draft. There is equal pleasure for me in seeing a student get the story that's in their head out on paper, as when they eventually finish their final draft.

During each session, I pair up each student with one of their fellow writers and it's the partner's job to help the other make dates to write, etc. Also having someone to brainstorm with who knows your story is a tremendous boon. The biggest thrill for me is when I discover that my students have continued to collaborate for years.

Here are the 5 Principles of Screenwriting my students use to finish their scripts fast:

1) When you begin, create for yourself first. Be your own first fan.2) Don't get it right -- get it written! Just get it down on paper, warts, missing parts and all.3) All good writing is rewriting. So get that first draft written.4) Tell the story from beginning to end. Never get caught up in what you don't know yet! Just keep going.5) Make appointments to do the work. And stick to them.

MARILYN HOROWITZ offers classes and consulting services for screenwriters of all levels.

REGISTER TODAY and FINISH YOUR SCREENPLAY!!!

WRITING THE TREATMENT -Marilyn's FIRST LIVE Seminar of 2009!

DATE: Saturday, February 7, 2009 TIME: 12:00-1:30pmLOCATION: ArtMar Training Institute, 60 W. 71st Street, #1A, New York, NY 10023PRICE: $30 for OTF members; $35 for general public.EVENT DESCRIPTION: This rarely taught skill is invaluable both for the creation of new material, to analyze and improve current scripts and a compelling way of getting your ideas read. The treatment can be more difficult to write than the script so let Marilyn show you a foolproof method for writing a strong treatment every time. REGISTER NOW at: otfrsvp@yahoo.com

APPLYING THE FOUR MAGIC QUESTIONS OF SCREENWRITING TO STAR WARS - FREE Teleseminar!

DATE: Tuesday, February 10, 2008TIME: 8:45pm ESTLOCATION: FREE Telephone Seminar (TELESEMINAR) is available to everyone (everywhere!)PRICE: FREE!EVENT DESCRIPTION: Join award-winning NYU professor Marilyn Horowitz for a FREE 45-minute teleseminar. In this cutting-edge class, Marilyn will use the classic film Star Wars and her revolutionary new method of structuring a screenplay to help you structure your script. These techniques were first presented at the 2008 Screenwriting Expo. Whether you are beginning a first draft, or rewriting a current script, these powerful ideas will help you move your work to a whole new level.

THE CREATIVE BUSINESS OF SCREENWRITING - Marilyn's 1st NYWIFT Seminar of the Year!

DATE: Thursday, March 12, 2009 TIME: 6:30-9pmLOCATION: NYWIFT, 6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200 New York, NY 10016-0112PRICE: $35 for non-membersEVENT DESCRIPTION: This informative seminar will show you how to accurately assess the market for your script, who the players are, and what you need to do to establish contacts and productive working relationships. You'll learn to write a great logline and query letter, how to make better industry contacts and pitch to them effectively on the phone, in print and in person; and how to protect yourself legally, tax-wise and story-wise. The workshop includes a complimentary workbook. SIGN UP NOW at: www.nywift.org

DATE: Saturday, March 28, 2009 TIME: 3pmLOCATION: 400 W. 43rd Street, Ellington Room, New York, NYPRICE: $15 for NYCScreenwriter.org membersEVENT DESCRIPTION: Many screenwriters agree that the "long middle" of the screenplay is one of the hardest parts about writing a script, and is usually the difference between writing a an original, professional quality, commercially viable screenplay versus a 60-minute story with filler. But now, in this intensive two-hour seminar, exclusive to NYCScreenwriter.org, award-winning NYU professor and writing coach Marilyn Horowitz, will teach you her revolutionary method of writing a compelling Act II and how to:

-Dramatize and expand the basic conflict of Act I-Approach the action of Act II as a nightmare that leads your main character to a new adventure by employing the perfect plot points for your genre-Maximize the action and sustain momentum throughout your screenplay-Build a plot that is organic, original and easy to rewriteJOIN THE SEMINAR TODAY.

FINISH YOUR SCRIPT! - JOIN Marilyn's PRIVATE CLASS!

DATE: April 1, 2009 (Wednesday class) or April 2, 2009 (Thursday class)TIME: 6:30PMLOCATION: ArtMar Training Institute, 60 W. 71st Street, #1A, New York, NY 10023PRICE: $725EVENT DESCRIPTION: Get across the finish line. Whether you've got a polished first draft, a project that's been"sitting on the shelf, or you're about to launch a query mailing, this class can help. In-class exercises delve into analyzing producer's notes and coverage, solving long-term structure and character issues, and improving dialogue and pacing. At the end of 9 weeks, Marilyn will read each script and provide a FREE detailed 45-minute script consultation (a $900 value). Applications for the winter semester are now available.

AUTHOR-PRENEURS!

"In today’s unpredictable economic times, the only investment with any appreciable security at all is clearly investing in your own creative career—something you and only you can have control over. As I watch the Dow-Jones rise and fall and see that the projects of so many writing clients moving forward toward their pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, I commend all creative people with the vision to take risks on their own creativity. One thing for sure, the worst things are, the more the world needs stories!" -- Ken Atchity, the Story Merchant

VISIT THE STORY MERCHANT WEBSITE

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Flix Pics: Movies I Recommend

Curse of the Golden Flower One of the most spectacular epic films I've ever seen: action, costume, intrigue, acting, directing. And you thought you had family issues! Don't know why it took years to find it.
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